Fresno Police Deputy Chief Keith Foster Busted on Drug Charges, FBI Outlines Evidence Against Him

Fresno Deputy Police Chief Keith Foster was busted  Thursday by the FBI – charged with the conspiracy to distribute and/or possess oxycodone, heroin and marijuana.

The FBI had been watching Foster for about a year and the investigation was intense, using video surveillance and wire taps to gain evidence.

On November 20, 2014, the FBI launched an investigation into Fresno Deputy Police Chief Keith Foster.  The very next day, Foster stood in solidarity and shook with hands with leaders of the faith community, during a press conference to stop violence.

Fresno pastor Booker T. Lewis says, "He’s a person that I care about.  I pray for him and I pray for the circumstances that he finds himself in."

Thursday, Foster was arrested and charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess drugs including oxycodone, heroin and marijuana.

The federal complaint outlines his involvement with five other suspects.  According to the FBI, in December and January, Foster used his employer’s insurance to fill prescriptions of oxycodone.

The complaint states that both in both cases, Foster drove his black BMW to the Rite Aid on Shaw and West, which was already being surveillance by the FBI.  Investigators say Foster picked up prescriptions of oxycodone and then drove to the home of Randy Flowers and dropped them off.  Flowers has a prior criminal history, including a drug charge.

According to the FBI, during phone conversations shared between Foster and Flowers, Foster was allegedly recorder saying, "I got a hundred of them things." Investigators say they believe those "things" were oxycodone pills. Investigators also claim they confirmed Foster had prescriptions for oxycodone filled at Rite Aid on those days.

The complaint goes on to say Foster was also trying to distribute heroin; working with convicted felon Rafael Guzman – who was charged in 2013 with drug possession.  In phone calls between them, Guzman was allegedly heard describing a street name for heroin and telling Foster, "We’re talking about some China white."

Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer says, "I’m disappointed.  I’m somewhat confused by what happened; as to how it happened."

Foster is also accused of conspiring with his relative, Denny Foster and Jennifer Donabedian to sell marijuana.  Denny Foster was arrested in January 2015 in Merced County on a marijuana possession.

The FBI also claims Denny, along with a woman named Sarah Ybarra,  later attempted to traffic marijuana to Albuquerque, New Mexico from a Fed Ex store on Blackstone and Nees.

According to legal analyst Charles Magill, Foster faces a maximum sentence of 45 years in federal prison.